Field damaged during Saturday's rush

BATON ROUGE - The Grounds crew at Tiger Stadium had to patch holes in the field Monday following the fan celebration that took place on it Saturday night.

Dozens of holes were filled with plugs the size of dinner plates after fans dug up part of the field.

"Some kids were just digging with their feet, others were trying to use keys to cut it up and scoop it up," said Assistant Sports Turf Manager Hunter Sexton. "Some just ripping, ripping the grass blades off and putting it in their pockets."

One hole near the north end zone was two inches deep in the shape of a square. Sexton says it was likely curved out with a pocket knife. He said he saw fans walk away with chunks of grass in their hands.

"Just pulling the grass up to take with them," he said.

The grass in the midfield logo was hit hardest. About five large spots were ripped out of the tiger eye.

Crews had to take nine dirt and grass plugs from the sidelines to fill the holes. The rest of the holes were finger marks from fans pulling up the grass and those holes were filled with sand and over-seed.

Sexton says the grass will take about 10 days to grow back, in time for the Tigers to host the Crimson Tide on Nov. 8.

LSU's 10-7 victory over Ole Miss Saturday was the first time fans rushed the field since 2001, when LSU beat Auburn and landed a spot in the SEC Championship game.